08/24/10Csci 211 – Lecture 16Déjà vu all over again?•Multiprocessors imminent in 1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s, …•“… today’s processors … are nearing an impasse as technologies approach the speed of light..”David Mitchell, The Transputer: The Time Is Now(1989)•Transputer was premature ⇒Custom multiprocessors strove to lead uniprocessors⇒Procrastination rewarded: 2X seq. perf. / 1.5 years•“We are dedicating all of our future product development to multicore designs. … This is a sea change in computing”Paul Otellini, President, Intel (2004) •Difference is all microprocessor companies switch to

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